This invention relates to an apparatus for affixing a towing device, such as a pintle hook or receiver hitch to a towing vehicle. More particularly, the invention is directed to an apparatus which is secured to the rear end of a frame of a light towing vehicle such as a pick-up truck, van and/or utility vehicle. The apparatus comprises of a frame portion and a bumper portion, where in the frame potion has a general U-shaped channel beam located on a backside of the bumper and first and second support structures providing support and balance to the channel beam on the bumper. Such an apparatus also includes means for mounting a towing device such as a pintle hook or receiver hitch.
While the invention is particularly directed to the art of towing devices and the reinforcement of bumpers in the towing vehicle industry, and will be thus described with specific reference thereto, it will be appreciated that the invention may have usefulness in other fields and applications.
Typically, "step bumpers" utilized in connection with light towing vehicles are designed and particularly adapted to receive standard ball mount hitches. Such hitches represent connecting means of the "ball-and-socket" type as opposed to a "coupling-pintle" type, the two types of trailer hitches most commonly used today.
In this regard, the step bumper includes a horizontal pull plate spanning the bottom of the vertically disposed indented portion of the bumper, to which the ball mount hitch is attached. A reciprocating receiver socket is present in the draw bar of the vehicle to be towed. However, due to the height and configuration constraints of a pintle hook hitch and the inclusion of a horizontal pull plate spanning the bottom of the vertically disposed indented portion of the step bumper, a pintle hook hitch can not be directly utilized with a step bumper. As a consequence, a standard step bumper is not best suited for pintle hook assemblies and receiver hitches which require attachment directly to the face of the indented portion of the bumper. This is unfortunate because pintle hook assemblies and receiver hitches offer many advantages over standard ball mount hitches.
Briefly, as an alternative to the use of the ball mount arrangement, a pintle hook assembly is many times used. Usually, the pintle hook hitch is used to tow heavy equipment whereas the ball-and-socket type hitch is utilized with lighter equipment. A pintle hook hitch may be generally described as a hook or pintle attached by a mounting plate to the rear end of a towing vehicle which engages a ring-eyelet assembly that is attached to the draw bar of the vehicle to be towed. A closure member such as a spring-biased latch, mates with the hook or pintle. Due to the incorporation of an upwardly extending hook or pintle, a cavity disposed adjacent the pintle for receiving the coupling element (i.e. eyelet) of the drawn vehicle and a spring-biased, pivotally-mounted latch extending over the cavity, accidental disengagement (or decoupling) of the drawn vehicle is substantially reduced through the use of a pintle hook towing hitch assembly. Likewise, receiver hitch assemblies are often advantageously used.
In addition to the positioning and placement problems noted above for use of a pintle hook hitch with step bumpers, the configuration of the indented portion of the standard step bumper is such that it does not have sufficient strength and rigidity to efficiently utilize the full loading capacity of the pintle hook and receiver hitch assemblies. More particularly, for either the pintle hook or receiver hitch assemblies to be utilized, the horizontal pull plate positioned in the indented portion of the step bumper must be removed. The pintle hook or receiver hitch is then connected to the face of the indented portion. This face, however, is not designed to withstand the force of a load of this nature or potential magnitude. The load on the standard step bumper is intended to be absorbed by the horizontal pull plate, which generally must be removed when a pintle hook or receiver hitch assembly is used. Accordingly, insufficient strength and support exists.
As a result, if use of a pintle hook or receiver hitch is desired, an under chassis receiver hitch frame mount must be added to the towing vehicle along with a pintle hook mounting adapter or a receiver hitch mounting structure. However, such a combination requires a number of elements which must be constantly monitored and generally produces a coupling arrangement which is substantially lower than the height of the rear bumper of the towing vehicle.
Certain bumper reinforcement structures are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,736 to Shanks discloses an adapter plate for a vehicle bumper which uses a reinforcement member. However, the Shanks patent does not disclose a step bumper having an indented portion, a U-shaped channel beam of the present invention laterally disposed along the length of the bumper, corresponding support structures, or pintle hook and/or receiver hitch assemblies.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved towing apparatus for use on light towing vehicles and/or trailers which resolves the above-referenced difficulties and others. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved pintle hook and/or receiver hitch assembly for attachment to the rear end portion of a vehicle.